Christine Nasca holds her son Levi Michael Latterell who was born early Wednesday morning at the Rutland Regional Medical Center. With them are father Ryan Latterell and big sister Kylah Rice. Levi was the first baby born at RRMC in 2014.

A Rutland Town baby had to hurry to become the first born in 2014 at Rutland Regional Medical Center and maybe all of Vermont.

Levi Michael Latterell was born at 2:56 a.m. in what became a three-baby race for the honors.

Mom Christine Nasca said she woke up in labor about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and quickly decided it was time to head to the hospital when her contractions started to come closer together.

“Right off the bat, they were at 3 minutes,” Nasca said.

So Nasca went to the hospital at about 8 a.m. and soon had company, as the hospital’s labor and delivery department was suddenly very busy. As Nasca and others labored through the day and into the night Tuesday, the prospect of having a New Year’s baby and possibly the first baby of the year wasn’t part of her thought process.

“I really wasn’t interested,” Nasca said. “I didn’t want to be first. I’m very quiet, calm. I’m a pretty private person and keep to myself. But Levi, he wanted to be the famous one.”

The hospital staff didn’t think she would be the first to go as the moms progressed, but then Nasca and little Levi pulled ahead.

The next baby was born at 4:08 a.m., just 1 hour 12 minutes later.

The healthy little boy checked in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 20˝ inches, from the top of light-brown almost blonde hair to the tips of the teeny toes.

For Levi’s father, Ryan Latterell, it was his second time to have his photo taken with a New Year’s baby.

In 1990, his younger brother, Shawn Latterell, was the first baby born and Shawn, Ryan and their mother were on the front page of the Rutland Herald.

The new parents received a steady stream of visitors throughout the morning and afternoon, and then Nasca said she was ready to take a break.

“It’s really overwhelming after a while,” she said. “It’s nice and kind of cool.”

Levi has an older sister, Kylah, who is 4 years old. Ryan Latterell works at Okemo Mountain Resort. Nasca is self-employed. They live in Center Rutland.